Thread: GLOBE EDITORIAL A raid on fairness

GLOBE EDITORIAL
A raid on fairness
May 24, 2008

HELICOPTERS hovered overhead as immigration officials closed in on Agriprocessors, a meat-processing plant in Postville, Iowa, earlier this month. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials called it the nation's largest "criminal worksite enforcement operation," and 389 workers were arrested.

It's a hollow victory, a show of force but not of wisdom. As the country has seen many times, raids hurt local economies and disrupt families. Worse, they are largely theater. Even big raids are too limited to make a dent in the country's complex illegal immigration challenge, which means figuring out what to do with an estimated 12 million people already here illegally.

If the government wants to send a message, it ought to pay more attention to prosecuting abusive employers who hire undocumented immigrants and mistreat them by withholding pay or doling out verbal and physical abuse. So far, no officials at Agriprocessors have been charged.

Glaring allegations of such abuse can be found in the search warrant application that officials submitted to raid Agriprocessors. In one case, a former worker told federal agents about finding a methamphetamine lab on the company premises. The former worker spoke of having destroyed part of the lab and said that this led to a physical confrontation with an immediate supervisor and, eventually, to being fired.

A federal informant who worked at Agriprocessors told officials about workers who appeared to be undocumented having trouble getting paid. In one case, a supervisor put duct tape over a worker's eyes and hit him with a meat hook, without, the warrant says, causing serious harm.

Other workers admitted to gaining employment using fraudulent documents. One worker claimed that he got a job without having any documents. When he received his first paycheck, the warrant application says, "it had another unknown person's name on it. This check was then taken to another portion of the plant where it was cashed."

This strongly suggests that company officials were systematically helping undocumented people work at the plant.

Congress and President Bush or his successor have to clean up this mess by enacting comprehensive immigration reform. Companies should be able to hire more immigrant workers legally. These workers' rights should be protected. And employers should be held accountable for abuses.

Instead, reform efforts are languishing. Raids continue. And outraged US-born neighbors and co-workers get a firsthand look at how badly broken the nation's immigration policies are.



© Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/edito ... _fairness/

As the country has seen many times, raids hurt local economies and disrupt families.

Raids do not hurt towns and local economies, criminal activities do. Let's assign the blame where it belongs. Idenity thieft does unrepairable harm to the victim's personal economy.

Illegal immigration disrupts families or illegal aliens wouldn't be sending money transmittances to family members in their home countries.

Raids send a powerful message to those employing illegal aliens and illegal aliens.

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Raids are one tool for enforcement of our immigration laws. One, in my opinion, which should be used daily in conjunction with other means of enforcement.

I commend ICE and the court system for their efficient job regarding the Postville raid.

Businesses who illegally hire illegal aliens are suspect of violating other laws. Businesses who violate the law need to be held accountable.

Tax-payers should not be monetarily punished for enforcing our laws for crimes committed by businesses or corporations.

Shouldn't businesses employing illegal aliens be fined an amount equal to the associated costs of the:
investigation
raid
detainment and electronic monitoring fees
medical expenses incured during detainment
court costs
all deportation costs

"The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence." Article IV Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.

Well said MyAmerica

Thank you jimpasz.

Your av is so appropriate for this week-end.